


Eating My Wings

by maroongrad



Category: Hellsing
Genre: Capture, Vampires, oh crap oh crap oh crap, servitude, staking, what the hell did I just capture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:27:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29527077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maroongrad/pseuds/maroongrad
Summary: A non-twisted establishment of a relationship between Dracula and Van Helsing. Van Helsing had beaten and staked the vampire...but...did he really, truly understand just what sort of monster he had captured?  Based on Alucard's response to Anderson and his admiration for the paladin and his own Master...how WOULD he have handled being bested?I honestly got inspired to write again after reading Anderseeds' stories. They pulled me back into the world of Hellsing with well-developed characters and scenes, and were the main impetus for me blowing the dust off the stories and producing more chapters. It got me reading more authors again, such as Deathintheorchard and similar excellent writers I'd previous discovered.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	Eating My Wings

He'd floated in a dark haze of discomfort, vaguely aware that something was WRONG, terribly, terribly WRONG, but unable and uninterested in making any more sense than that. It ended in screaming agony, back arched and arms flailing, dark and clotted blood bubbling and oozing from this throat, thick and viscous, and worst of all was that he could FEEL wood being pulled from him, rasping and vibrating on the bones of his ribs. 

After, all he could do was lie still, trying hard not to shiver in reaction and hurt himself even more. He'd been captured, been staked, by a most amazing set of humans, led by Van Helsing and his Mina. They had removed the stake...not killed him? He had his doubts about how effective that would have been, but why had they removed it? A dull pang of regret that he remained was joined by a dull pang of curiousity, and he forced his eyes open. Eye, for one was crusted shut, with blood, dirt, or something foul he didn't know. But the other one obeyed, at least a bit, and he forced it to focus.

Van Helsing...standing just out of reach, bloodied stake in his hands, looking as firm and unyielding and determined as ever. This was the man who had defeated a vampire, and for a few long seconds he could only stare at the man, drinking in the image. Beside him, he saw the Harkers...the clever and witty and obliviously lithely attractive Johnathan, and the great conflagration of spirit that was his Mina. He wasn't sure if it was with regret or joy that he noticed the faint tint of darkness on her soul. Behind them loomed the massive form of Holmswood, dwarfed only by that of Van Helsing, and he could see the shoulders of someone else, just slightly too far to the side for him to make out who it was...but it was most likely the good doctor who'd fought against the violent Renfield.

Amazing humans. Truly amazing, and he spent a few moments basking in their presence. All of them armed, and that was a touch offensive that they would think he'd hurt them. They had defeated him soundly, taken away all that was his except the very last things he had to offer...his admiration and respect for that accomplishment. Voices washed over him. Not his own native language, but something fast and stressed with syllables jarring together and tumbling past. A touch of frustration that he was so insensible, but only a touch. He was terribly injured, weak, and dazed, and really, he had no clear idea of how long he'd been staring at them before his vision dimmed. Even the dead souls inside him had ceased their restless surging and murmuring, waiting along with him to find what would happen next.

And that, was blood. Cold and chill, not fresh and warm, thick and sticky instead of lively and slick, but blood. He hadn't noticed Jack moving completely out of his view, but pulled his eye open far enough to find Seward was somewhere behind him, tipping a beaker of blood (a beaker. How very doctor-ish of him!) into his mouth. He could hear the others shifting slightly, prepared as ever for an attack, but he was as interested in the blood as he was disinterested in attacking. Over far too soon, but the bits of bone and blood and torn flesh had enough to pull themselves together. Not firmly, the injury would need only the slightest strain to tear open again, but sealed...and his mind more awake. 

And coughing. In great pain, and coughing now, chunks of dried blood and bits of ashy dead flesh being propelled from his lungs. It hurt, oh, it hurt, and he could feel the thin flesh splitting and the great injury re-opening, but he could not stop the coughing. He needed to speak, to communicate...and he could not even pull in the air required, and his voicebox itself seemed coated in filth and unresponsive. And then gentle hands rolled him onto his side, which added to the pain but allowed him to expel the sludge and filth. It spilled out of his mouth, and with a few final gasping coughs the last of it was gone. He was left in pain and his eye had fallen shut again at some point, but there was naught to be done about it except wait.

\-------v---v------

None of them had expected the Count to react as he had. They really should have, mused Seward. They'd assumed that if he'd healed, that would have left his body in somewhat working order...and not one of them had expected any lingering blood to clog the lungs. Odd that it hadn't been absorbed but then again, it was thick and blackened and putrid. The only thing that had gone according to expectations was that the vampire had woken. Flailing in agony, and Holmswood had been caught a glancing blow on the shoulder, a blow as weak as a kitten's, and then it was still again. Watching them, one lid lifted to show the dull red orb underneath, but nothing else at all. 

They'd discussed what they saw, as the creature lay inert before them, and what little they could see of the eye had rolled up not long after it opened. The body remained as torn and damaged as when the stake had been pulled (and what a grisly event that had been!) away. Seward was the only one who had thought that the vampire might remain incapacitated, and he'd argued successfully for them to be prepared for such an event. So now, as time ticked past and the vampire remained an inert lump of damaged flesh, he was the one who would be feeding the beast the small bit of blood they'd drawn before reviving the murdering monster.

He'd been caught as flat-footed as the others when, instead of lunging at them, the vampire had begun to retch and gasp. Familiar with the symptoms as a doctor, he'd quickly rolled the monster onto its side. He'd have preferred the vomit of a sick patient to the stench of what came from the vampire; it had putrefied inside the beast for weeks. Worse was the sounds of pain that came with it; if the creature had the strength he was sure it would have been screaming. When he was certain it had stopped, he rolled it back over, and saw the great wound in the ribcage re-opened. The skin had been paper-thin, and had ripped, and the muscle under it was equally torn. He suspect the bones and cartilage underneath, perhaps even the internal organs, were in just as terrible a shape.

What now?

\----v---v-----

Abraham glared at the recalcitrant beast, an anger barely tempered by pity for its sadly reduced state. And then disgust as the stench from the expelled tissues intensified. Well, the beast may not have tested its restraints, but neck and feet were stoutly chained. The arms had been left free as a sort of test...what would it do when it thought itself free?

Absolutely nothing. And now it lay slumped on its side, completely limp, either helpless or doing a marvelous job of feigning such. It was such a proud creature, vain and arrogant, and it willingly laying in such filth was nearly inconceivable...as remaining near that filth was for them!

"I do believe it's weakened and not dangerous. However, it is a sly beast. Mina, Johnathan, please stay back and guard. Arthur, Seward, under the stairs is a storage area with cleaning supplies. We'll need a few buckets of clean water at a minimum as well; if the spigot is not working." and so much in this heap of stone was not working! "you'll need to bring it from the kitchen." 

The two men left, and Abraham stalked around his prey. Grey, it was grey under the grime, not the alabaster white of a healthy vampire. The hair was stringy and no longer a lustrous black, but a filthy pale grey, maybe even white under all the mess. Cheeks and eyes were deeply sunken, ribs protruded...it had gone from lean to skeletal. The beast was covered in its blood, from the dirt and mud in which it had thrashed after being dug up, with an extra patina of grime from more than a week of rough travel and another week stored in this damp dungeon. Nothing moved, not the slightest, and he poked it viciously with the barrel of his pistol. It left an actual dent in the lower back, one which didn't fill in...and not the slightest response. A silver chain was pulled out and removed from his watch, and it descended to hang just above the cheek...which did not twitch and pull away. His crucifix was next, and while the skin under it appeared to darken as it dangled just above, the vampire itself had no response.

It was truly insensible, or too weak to even twitch. Yes, he was more and more certain that it was too incapacitated to pose a danger. 

\----v-v-----------

Pain, minor to what he'd been through, in his back and on the side of his face. He couldn't even twitch as someone, most likely Van Helsing, stalked about him like a lion circling its prey. More voices, a metallic clanging, and...cleaned? They were cleaning him? Surprising and appreciated...again and again these strange, exceptional humans proved their worth. It was a level of compassion he had never felt himself, and seen only rarely. Yet he was wiped, cleaned, care being taken around his injury, face gently sponged off, even hair brushed clear of the worst of the filth. Eyes were wiped clear, eyelashes freed, and with effort he was able to open them. Opening far or focusing was beyond him, but he could see the shapes moving about, and hear the soft rumble of their voices. As he was lifted and turned, he heard someone whimper softly and realized that it was himself. 

When the hands left him, he was still dressed in damaged and soiled clothing, but the worst of the stench and filth was gone. On his back again...and more blood? Yes, only a bit, a few swallows...but enough to pull his chest back together far more firmly than before, to clear the foul taste from his mouth, and provide clarity to his mind. Enough, truly, to move if needed, if only for a short period of time. A survival mechanism, that...if blood was limited, a vampire's healing would be targeted towards returning their ability to hunt. His insides were much of a jumbled mess, but if he were so inclined, he was now capable of mesmerizing them, or even lunging off the table to take a victim. 

He was not so inclined...killing these humans was abhorrent to even consider! They had brought him low, nearly killed him once and for all, and even now could likely manage it...if he was able to die. These were exceptional, most especially of all Van Helsing, and with them, his future existence was no longer so bleak. Looking at all five in turn, and finishing to rest his eyes on Van Helsing...who in turn watched him with suspicion and caution, and a touch of possibly even concern? Stopping the pleased hum didn't happen, he wasn't aware he was going to make the sound until his throat vibrated for those few seconds. He didn't bother hiding the surprise on his face at this, but continued to watch the brilliant man who had defeated him. This...this was a man worth serving. His God had failed him...but perhaps this man would not. So eager to talk earlier...and now...what to say? To do?

\---v--v---

The damned creature looked...pleased? It SOUNDED happy, a quiet little hum that brought a brief look of surprise on the vampire's face when it rumbled softly out. Van Helsing narrowed his eyes at it, seeing the pleased look fade at his displeasure. What an odd beast. And it still hadn't moved much more than its eyes. Time ticked by, the vampire doing nothing but the occasional blink, the others shifting slightly as they stood, and...nothing.

"Well, monster? What are you waiting for?" Angry, frustrated, and he sounded it, and the vampire drew back slightly in response. It wasn't even challenging him. The mouth opened slightly, closed, the vampire considering his question and formulating a response. And when that weak voice rasped out its response, the vampire had answered with its own question.

"I...don't know." a long pause, then, "Orders?"

Orders it wanted? To do WHAT? It was chained down with blessed metal at neck and feet, which it hadn't seemed to notice. None of it touched his skin directly, after all; they'd been careful to shield the metal with cloth. The damned thing was playing with them now, manipulating them to its own weird little game, and he was going to use that to his advantage.

"Then sit up."

And it DID. It began to sit, felt the jerk of chains stopping movement of more than a few inches, and somehow the head and ankles thinned and melted, traveling easily through the useless restraints. No, no! He'd thought it far too weak to access any of its powers, and here it was, slipping through those heavy shackles with no difficulties at all. Legs swung over the side of the table, and it simply...sat. Hunched forward, arms wrapped around the damaged chest, but sitting despite the obvious pain. 

He'd gasped and stepped back, as had the others, except for Johnathan. He'd stepped in front of Mina instead, and fired his blessed silver bullets at the vampire from only a half-dozen feet away. Great black spots formed on its side, blood drops were flung from the impact, and the side of the vampire's body now held a half-dozen bloody pits. The face registered surprise and pain, not the rage Abraham had braced himself for, and he lowered his own gun. The creature was no longer hunched forward, but slumped, and as he watched, it slowly fell forward, slightly to the side, and...it was going to land on its head. He could see what would happen in his mind...the slow, uncontrolled fall forwards, the head hitting the ground....

And he moved, with the lightning speed no one expected of someone so large, catching and cradling the head and shoulders before they could hit the gritty stone floor and cause yet more damage. His right hand wrapped around a shoulder, but he found the fingers themselves were half-buried in a bullet's bloody pit, and as he gently lowered the vampire to the floor, he could FEEL the lump of metal moving about under his hand!

Red eyes pulled open to look at him, dazed, and dilated with pain, lips pulled from teeth in a grimace of agony. The bullets hadn't fallen out, they were still burning inside the vampire! 

"Mina! The cabinet behind you, right side, are forceps. Bring them, quickly!" Mina, bless her, didn't hesitate but had the cabinet open and was glancing through the trays of tools immediately. She pulled the entire tray of forceps out, and thrust it towards him as he knelt on the floor beside the damaged vampire. It had gone insensible again, face vague and eyelids tight with pain, opened just enough to show the dull red pigment of the eyes. Well, he'd fix it soon enough. It hadn't attacked them at all, damn Johnathan for his reaction, though he couldn't truly blame the man's response when faced with an unrestrained Dracula! No, Johnathan was not to blame...not even as he probed and dug out each bloody misshapen chunk of metal.

Here, the terrible boniness was an advantage, for there simply wasn't much to look through to find each bullet. In a few minutes, all six were laying in a small bloody pile beside him, and the vampire looked as bad as it had before the stake had been pulled. Good. That meant he could move the creature to a more secure place before waking it again. It had slipped those shackles so easily...it would have a much harder time finding a way through the spelled and warded walls of the room that awaited it.

\-----v---v----

Blood, again? He'd been aware of the entire surgical procedure, the painful prodding and then the relief of having the metal removed. He'd been prepared to heal and push it out but that would have used up what little energy he had and he could be only grateful that Van Helsing, for it had to be he, was rapidly dealing with the problem. More voices, vaguely frustrating that he could not understand them, jostling pain as arms and legs were grabbed and he was lifted...not to be placed on the table? Movement, flashes of light as they traveled with him, and then cold stone under him. And then...the blood. 

He swallowed the bare mouthful and opened his eyes just in time to see Van Helsing stepping through a door and it closing solidly behind him! Frustrating, but he was not restrained at all, and laid quietly as his body tried to heal itself, yet again. He'd been save the additional damage of a nasty tumble onto the floor, but the bullet wounds were no joke no matter how quickly they healed! He was tempted, truly, to open his full power and change to an undamaged form. After all, Abraham had seen him shift and change and the eyes open along his body even as it was staked and pinned to the ground.

Then again, Harker had shot him for nothing more than sitting as directed! If they hadn't wanted him to remove the restraints he'd found on him, well, Abraham shouldn't have given a command that required it. He'd finally found someone worth following, that he respected enough to obey, but damned if he'd be shot for doing exactly what he was told!

The quick removal of the bullets had a happy result; he had far more energy than he expected after healing the damage. While laying on the floor not moving for a bit had its attractions, he was not a man to lie idly about, in life or death, and it served no purpose. It was an effort to roll over and push himself off the floor, and he was none too stable as he stood, but he'd managed. Standing, he could see the room he was in more clearly in all its dingy smallness. Entirely unlit, long and wide enough for him to lie on the floor but barely any more than that. Tall, though, enough to stand and even reach up before brushing the stone. 

Stone which pushed him back, stopping his hand just before he could touch the surface. Odd, that...Hellsing must have put quite a bit of effort into that sort of a ward. Shuffling steps took him around the room, finding each wall to be sturdily impenetrable, barely even touchable. Not painful, but a barrier he wasn't going to cross easily. Oh, he COULD cross it, he had no doubt of that...but not without calling on the souls he carried inside!

The final wall held the door. A solid, no-nonsense door of thick heavy dark wood and iron bands, hinges on the outside, too. If he hadn't seen it close, he wouldn't have known which side even opened. It pushed back harder than the walls, even. Reaching out for it, his hand was still a handspan away when he encountered the resistance, and moving it closer, the warding actually began to sting! 

Impressive. He'd spent a few centuries polishing his own talents in magely skills and this was the equal of anything he'd created. And done by a mere human, without the time and resources a vampire possessed? Marvelous. Yes, he was well-caught and near-destroyed by competence, not chance, indeed! And, perhaps, a true death could be found in the future among these humans that knew so much...but not now. For the first time in decades, he looked forward to learning about what was in store, what Van Helsing planned, what would happen! Yes, he could leave with a bit of exertion, but to stay promised far more. That happy hum escaped him again, and amused at his own self, he waited to see what would happen.

\---v--v----

They'd given the creature over an hour, waiting tensely to see if the room would, indeed, hold him. They'd thought so, but the beast had slipped the chains so easily! No pressure on the wards, no tearing at the seals, nothing. Was it even moving? 

"Vampire!" Silence. "Are you able to speak with us?" Most likely curse them out if it was, but this had been an unexpected and surprising evening so far, and he didn't really know what to expect.

A prompt "Yes, Master." was NOT something he'd thought to ever hear! It had found itself well trapped, then, and was attempting to soothe them, lull their suspicions with this instant and falsely respectful response? 'Master' indeed!

"Had a chance to check the room, then? That is now your home; you won't be escaping it, so put any such thoughts out of your head. Found you can't get out, have you?" If it hadn't, he wanted it to realize, very soon, just how trapped it was. He hated waiting and wondering!

"Ah...," a pause, the vampire barely audible through the thick door. "It...I can leave, though. I didn't think you wanted me to, so I stayed inside." A pause, then rushed words. "The wards are very good, very solid, but...they won't hold me. If I go through them, they will be damaged."

He'd given the vampire credit for more brains and manipulative ability than that. He was not about to open the door to prevent this damage to the wards, and thus actually provide the vampire a way to leave. Time to call its bluff...although he was frankly very glad that it was up and aware and willing to speak at all!

"Then damage them." A smirk as he watched the door, which faded as the vampire stepped through the wall beside it. Slowly but steadily, then standing uncertainly by the very solid wall, an odd look for the normally self-confident beast THAT HAD JUST WALKED THROUGH THE STRONGEST WARDS HE'D EVER SEEN! Not attacking, though, but its mere presence after that display of casual power was raising the hairs on his neck and making his heart race. It was powerful, evil, and a predator, and he knew that on a deep and instinctual level, his body responding to the threat and imminent death it promised. Unrestrained, only a few feet away, red eyes fixed on him, and he knew, KNEW, that he was prey in the easy reach of a terrible hunter. A few heartbeats passed, the red eyes glowed brighter, and...no. Just NO.

The vampire was NOT the only hunter present, nor the strongest! HE was a hunter himself! Dammit, he was NOT going to show weakness and panic in front of the beast! Yes, it was a hunter, but he himself was a better one and that's why this monster was standing in HIS basement, he'd staked it once and by damn he'd do it again if he needed! 

\----v---v----

He'd been uncertain of his reception if he stepped through. Then again, standing in the cell wouldn't accomplish anything. If he was shot, he was shot. And...hiding his abilities from Van Helsing would lead nowhere good. Such a leader demanded honesty, and misleading Abraham could destroy the relationship he found himself eager to build. The walls and wards would be challenging enough to push through and demonstrate his abilities. Going through the door was...excessive, would damage wards that had taken a great deal of time and effort to create, but it was time for Abraham to realize just what he'd captured. The walls would be difficult enough to repair and impressive enough to penetrate, no need to make more work! 

Pushing through, he found all five of them ranged in the hall, looks of panic and fear although none were running. Even Abraham looked ready to wet himself..and...he began to feel the crushing disappointment of finding him to be just another human to hunt, not the victor and leader he'd expected to follow.

Then Abraham's back straightened, his eyes flashed, and his very bearing DEMANDED the respect of the vampire in front of him! Relief, such relief, that he hadn't misjudged him (and a faint instinctive grumble that he wasn't going to enjoy a fine dinner of all five of them!). Abraham glared at him, eyes narrowing before turning and walking away.

"Come. -I- am going to sit, and YOU are going to tell me exactly how you managed that." No hesitation in turning his back on a vampire, the sheer self-confidence and arrogant assurance that the vampire would, indeed, not just refrain from attack...but obediently follow.

Yes, THIS was the leader and Master that had hunted and captured HIM. Grinning, sharp teeth on full display, he followed. He wasn't sure quite what would happen, but it was...exciting...to be unsure and to have to wait to find out! And after centuries of monotony, this was a wonderful change.

Ignoring the other four, he was pleased to see that they seemed to have recovered their confidence after the display by Abraham. Yes, this was a commander, to inspire four exceptional humans so easily. He followed obediently, grin growing larger, anticipating and curious about what his Master would do next!

\-------------

My computer fell victim to static...along with a few half-completed chapters for the stories I have in progress! I have an older one, this one, to use...but it has its own issues. The good computer should be fixed within the month, or at least have the hard drive removed and data recovered, and I'll get the stories back into production. For now? A random one-shot inspired by watching the last three OVAs with my husband this week.


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